EBP: Everyday Stalinism

Chapter 2 of  Everyday Stalinism : Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s by Sheila Fitzpatrick describes the lives of everyday Russians during the rule of Joseph Stalin. It explains how different aspects of life were controlled by the regime and ultimately worsened by famine.  In the 1930s, areas that were prominently grain growing regions were hit with a major famine. This had a serious impact on food supply. This meant that many Russians were starving or seriously malnourished and led to the deaths of 3-4 million people over the period of 1932-1933. The lack of food meant that people desperately searched and some would even wait all night in the cold for a tiny amount of bread, which often never even arrived. 

Additionally the famine meant that people living in affected areas were forced to move into urban centres. This put a strain on the areas and led to serious overcrowding and dropped living standards. It was the norm to have a communal apartment with one family per room as well as many dwellers living in hallways or even in the corner of the kitchen.

As well as a housing shortage, after the Civil War it was  incredibly hard for citizens to gain access to everyday items. It was no longer possible to buy supplies that could be used to fix things, such as nails, threads and needles and it was nearly impossible to hire anybody to do this for you.  Quite obviously, many Russians in the 1930's went without many necessities and lived in unliveable conditions.

The themes of the course that are discussed in the article relate to how the government reacted to the famine. There are many regulations discussed that hint at a dictatorship. Stalin and his party ultimately held a monopoly of goods and services, which made it even harder for people to gain access to food and items than it already was. He made it illegal for individual practice of trade, such as carpentry, hairdressing, tailoring and photography. This was subsequently re-legalized but was still highly regulated. The state also owned most urban residential areas and ultimately controlled who lived in these areas and regulated the acceptance of permits.

Additionally, the state was solely responsible for the distribution of food, clothing and other items. It was illegal to resell items and citizens were not allowed to sell their own goods and services. To make it more difficult, Stalin and his party were against a rationing system, which many civilians thought could solve distribution issues and allow for more people to gain access to food and items. Stalin was afraid that a rationing system was a sign of poverty and an economic crisis.